“If it weren’t for them, I don’t think I’d be here, to be honest with you.”

After several years of drug addiction, crime and homelessness, Steve felt he’d reached the end of the road. “I’d had enough. I was just getting nowhere… I was definitely planning on throwing myself into the Don.”

The Don is one of two rivers flowing through Steve’s home town, Rotherham. Rotherham was once a prosperous industrial centre. Steel mills and coal mining were core local industries. Not any more. Several Rotherham neighbourhoods are among the 10 per cent most deprived in the country. Health problems – both physical and mental – are a significant barrier to employment, leading in turn to financial difficulties. Steve isn’t the only one on the verge of losing hope.

But there is a twist in his tale.

“I did say a prayer, you know, so that God would help me.” A couple of days after this desperate prayer, Steve sat down on a bench outside Rotherham Minster, the church in the heart of the town. “And Ali come out of nowhere and said, ‘Do you want to come in for a cup of coffee?’ and it’s gone on from there.”

More than a market

Ali Middleton is a graduate of CMS’s pioneer mission training and associate vicar at Rotherham Minster and St Paul’s Masbrough. Since arriving in Rotherham, Ali has been part of the team running a social supermarket at the Minster.

The Minster team delivered food parcels during the first COVID-19 lockdown, and found, “People love the food, but actually what they really enjoyed was the chat on the doorstep.” When Ali started working at the church, they were asking: how can we meet social as well as food-related needs? Having seen a church in nearby Sheffield start something similar, they launched a social supermarket.

Ali explains: “A social supermarket works slightly different from a food bank. People are referred to us for around three months and during that time they pay a membership fee of £3 each visit, which entitles them to a weekly shop. They go over to our little shop and choose what to have. But we are just so much more than food, because food poverty is only one symptom of the situation.

“Our social supermarket members and volunteers, quite a few of them are what we would consider being on the edge of financial situations…. They feel forgotten [and] perplexed sometimes by society and systems and feel that it fails them…. People are wanting to have different lives. It’s just that they need a helping hand.”

Members of the social supermarket like Steve can get help with money management, be connected with other organisations including the Citizens Advice Bureau, and join a cooking course to help make the most of the food.

And community has developed too – while people come for a specific appointment in the shop, during opening times on Wednesdays and Thursdays people come into the Minster for hot drinks, snacks and a chat, and join in with community art projects.

Ali continues, “It’s amazing when you have people side by side doing things, how it opens them up…. We try to make it so that we’re being with people rather than doing for people. So although we provide the food, if everybody brings their talents and their skills, they’re part of what happens. And that is quite transformative.” Members are encouraged to stay involved, and several now volunteer.

So what change have they seen? “We’ve had people that have become more confident, people whose mental health has improved, people who have started their faith journey…”

Steve summarises: “It’s great, honestly. It helps a lot of people. And it’s like a gathering. We get talking, we have a cup of coffee and it’s a lovely day out.”

All to do with God

After people started asking questions about faith, Ali gave out some copies of Mark’s Gospel, and a Thursday group was formed to discuss their questions. Steve describes the Thursday group as the highlight of his week: “I’ve made new friends and it’s been great. I’m cleaned up from being on drugs and [I’ve] kept out of prison.”

People beyond the Minster community have noticed the change in Steve. A local police officer, a shop manager and Steve’s mother have all commented on how he looks healthier than he has for many years, now that he is off drugs, housed and looking after himself more.

Steve is clear about what drives the changes in his life: “Jesus has made a big difference to my life. Every time I read the Bible, there’s quotations there that make sense to me. I know God is helping me. I can feel his presence every day. It’s a struggle, but it’s helping. And for me to be clean off all that what I were on, it’s all to do with God.”

Seeing God afresh

Ali lights up as we ask how she sees God at work: “All the time…. And my understanding of God has changed as I’ve worked with people here. I’ve always known God is on the side of the poor, but I never really appreciated how much God reveals himself to people who are in poverty. And to see people who struggle with life to develop in their faith journey has helped me grow in my faith.”

Rotherham isn’t an easy place to work – and Ali credits her CMS training, particularly the module on community development, with helping her face the challenges. “My eyes were opened to the idea of encouraging people to bring what they have and allowing community to grow. I’ve been able to take those principles into what I do here.” Ali still connects with other CMS pioneer students to share questions and issues.

For Steve, this community is a lifeline, walking alongside him as he grows in faith. To give him the last word, “We turn our backs on God when something doesn’t go right. But then, I asked him to help me. I know I turned my back on God… but God has never turned his back on me.”

Jesus never gives up. Neither should we.

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I’m Claire. I’m a Rotherham lass, born and bred. Growing up, I never really had anything to do with church apart from the Nativity in school.

As an adult, I’d never have seen myself going into a church at all. It’s only because I came to Rotherham Minster through work that I ended up staying. When I did come here, it felt like home.

I first came to the social supermarket to help people with money management. That’s where I met Ali [Middleton, CMS pioneer graduate] and the rest of the team. And Ali’s been a big help for me through my journey.

I started asking questions about God because I was curious and I knew nothing. So it was general questions: “How do you know God exists? How do you know he’s real?”

As Ali answered, I was like, “This is weird because this is what I’ve felt all my life.”

I came along to a group that meets on Thursdays, where we’ve read a couple of Gospels, but it’s more than sitting and talking about the Bible and Jesus and God. If somebody comes and they’ve got an issue, we can all sit together in a safe space and talk about it and help each other.

A big part of Thursday group is the people. I’ve never been one for socialising, but everybody treated me like Claire, not Claire with the walker. I was treated as a human being. And as well as meeting them, obviously God was here.

The Bible is confusing at the best of times, so it helps that Ali explains things in plain English. To have somebody who can actually sit and talk to you about it and use language that you understand is really important.

Before I knew Jesus, life was okay, I just carried on plodding along. I felt like there was no particular meaning. There was just that one thing missing. And now I’ve found it. My life is different because I feel content in myself. I’ve always got somebody with me and I’m always looked after, listened to and thought about, and I belong.

Before, I was lost; I didn’t have a purpose. I was working for a bank for 13 years and I was just in the system being a robot. And now I can be myself, I can be Claire, and I can help all those people in need where they need it.

I just thought I came here for work, but I didn’t realise where it would lead me. God certainly didn’t reveal a plan, but he’s led me to a place where I’ve helped people in dire need. And that’s what my calling is.

I came for work and I’ve gained a family.

I’m so happy now. For the future, I just want to stay with the church. I want to stay working with people because I think this is where I’m supposed to be.

Jesus never gives up. Neither should we.

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“Peace is the wish of everyone in Kadugli,” says Hassan James, assistant bishop of the Diocese of Kadugli and CMS local partner.

Yet from where Bishop Hassan stands, in the Nuba Mountains, South Kordofan state, Sudan, peace has often been painfully elusive. The area was in the crosshairs of a violent civil war for decades and has also suffered from recurrent tribal violence: cattle theft, intimidation, displacement and murder.

Against this volatile backdrop, and despite the restraints of the COVID-19 pandemic, a symbol of hope for both the present and the future has risen and flourished – the Peace Episcopal Primary School, which is supported by the diocese.

“We started the school as the society needed more options for [affordable] children’s education… especially orphans, poor families and Christian children,” said Bishop Hassan. “We therefore came up with the idea and shared it with our friends in the country as well as across the world.”

He noted that it’s called The Peace School because, “We live in a war zone and so we need peace, and we must teach the children about peace….”

After almost a year of construction work, the doors to the Peace School opened in October 2019. Though conceived as a Christian school, the strong reputation for quality has garnered pupils from different tribes and religions and some of the teachers are Muslim. More than 480 children currently attend the school, ranging from ages 6 to 15. A separate kindergarten space has also been built to accommodate 80 children.

“We live in a war zone and so we need peace, and we must teach the children about peace…”

“The students live in peace and love even if they may differ in faith,” said Bishop Hassan, who was born into a Muslim family and turned to Jesus at age 11 while living in Khartoum.

In his time as suffragan bishop, he has worked hard to promote peaceful relationships between the Christian and Muslim communities. More than 90 per cent of the population of Sudan is Muslim. Bishop Hassan has been presented with multiple opportunities to leave the region and minister elsewhere in the world, yet he feels called to remain and be a voice for peace. He regularly speaks on the need for peace via local radio and often runs into people who have heard him and say things to him like: “Thank you, this is the need of the community.” He has also advocated for peace and reconciliation efforts with local authorities.

He remembers that during a visit to the Nuba Mountains in 2017, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby offered a prayer “that no child will live in war, but learn things such as peace, humility and love”. The Peace School is a brave step towards that vision.

Pray together

Unless violence is ended, communities in conflict zones have little hope of reaching their potential. CMS-Africa and CMS are focusing on such contexts: pray for people in mission working as peacemakers where people are crying out for an end to war.

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In October 2022, a landmark mission event took place in Salta, Argentina: one that could help safeguard the futures of indigenous peoples across Latin America – or Abya Yala,¹ as it should perhaps be known.

What happens when 80 followers of Jesus from multiple indigenous people groups gather together for five days of fellowship, food and dreaming and planning for a shared future?

According to Paul Tester, CMS regional manager in Latin America, who helped organise the Indigenous Peoples Mission Congress last year, it was “a little glimpse of heaven”.

Standing at crossroads

Daily life for women and men from the Aymara, Chorote, Énxet, Mapuche, Quechua, Toba and Wichí people groups is far from idyllic. These indigenous communities, who first encountered the gospel via Western missionaries a little over a century ago, now stand at a crossroads in terms of leadership, culture, relationships to wider society and the land they live on. This was not the first time representatives from these groups have gathered together, yet it was the first occasion where mission was the key focus.

Jeremiah 6:16 provided inspiration: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”

The congress began with a simple service of Holy Communion, combining elements from each culture represented.

Five days, five issues

Leading up to the event, participants identified five big issues to discuss: forming indigenous leadership, gospel and culture, creation care, the relationship between indigenous peoples and the government, and unity.

The group first looked at the role of education and theological training in raising up indigenous leaders. Against a backdrop of increasing interaction with Latino and Western cultures, the next generation is facing a fresh set of challenges, and the group discussed preparing young people for what lies ahead. There is an urgent need to find and train indigenous Christian leaders for the present and future. Bishop Mateo Alto, a CMS local partner, said, “We need training, to do our own theology, and to administer resources we have.”

Next, the group had lively conversations about the intersection between their cultures and the gospel. They were invited to ask questions such as, “Do we allow the gospel to challenge our culture?” And “Where does the gospel affirm our culture?”

On the theme of creation care, the men and women gathered discussed the huge challenges faced by indigenous groups all across Latin America – or Abya Yala, the preferred name for the region for many indigenous people. What can be done about the huge loss of biodiversity as well as contamination and climate change?

The indigenous cultures represented share deeply rooted values about caring for nature. Local partner Mirna Paulo, a member of the Wichí group and a CMS local partner, spoke about the traditional Wichí idea of “leaving something for nature” – not taking more from nature than you need. But as Western consumerism encroaches on these communities, traditional indigenous principles like this risk being eroded. The group meditated on their place in creation, made for and by Christ.

Many also found it helpful to examine the power and responsibility of governments. The theme of indigenous peoples and the government also invited discussion around education, including how Western-style education has changed the way people live, and in some cases, threatened indigenous cultures, and the question of whether children are taught in their own language.

CMS local partner Agustín Maidana issued a call to unity: for leaders to promote events and activities that foster unity, for followers of Jesus to unite across the Church and for the Church to work in unity with other community leaders. There was a strong desire to see more unity between the different indigenous peoples: to learn from one another and to stand together for the sake of their children’s and grandchildren’s future.

Sunday, the penultimate day of the congress, was a day of rest and rejoicing. Local churches joined for worship, food and celebration. The air rang with praise in different tongues and dialects.

Declaring unity

On the final day of the congress, working groups drafted a declaration laying out the good way that they want to walk in (Jeremiah 6:16).

The declaration urges a comprehensive process for training leaders for work in the local church, the promotion and use of indigenous languages to maintain cultural identity, and the creation of biblical formation centres for the next generation of indigenous church leadership.

The declaration also acknowledges the role of indigenous peoples as stewards of creation, and calls for improved links between local communities and regional authorities to ensure that the rights of indigenous peoples are protected.

“It’s been great to be here and to take back to my community our conclusions… [to] enrich our understanding and commitment to the Word of God,” said Alejandro Díaz, a Chorote leader from northern Argentina. He added: “I would like to thank all those who put together this congress for our people.”

¹ The preferred name for the region for many indigenous people, meaning “land in its full maturity”.

Take part

From its beginning, South American Mission Society (later merged with CMS) has been committed to standing in solidarity with indigenous peoples of Latin America/Abya Yala. If you would like to join in this vital advocacy work, consider serving with CMS:

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Fewer than half of people in Britain said they are Christian in the latest census, the results of which were published in November.¹ This has dropped dramatically in the last 20 years. Britain is most definitely now in a post-Christian era.

by Jonny Baker

The next largest response is now the “no religion” box or what some call the nones. We should be slow to leap to the conclusion that those people are atheists. In Linda Woodhead’s research into that group she found that only a few are militantly secular, and less than half considered themselves atheists.² The largest group were made up of maybes and doubters and don’t knows and a group who believe there is “something there”. Interestingly, the younger the cohort, the smaller the proportion of atheists. So paradoxically Britain might also be post-secular!

At the risk of too many “posts”, the other one that is worth a mention is post-Christendom. Christendom describes the time in Europe when church hierarchy dominated the landscape in its alignment with political power and empire. The cultural memory and cultural presence in Britain is still there and we still have a state religion, but it is a faded reality.

An exciting context

Some reactions to all this are quite gloomy, but I find this quite an exciting context for mission. CMS intuited this was coming back in the 1970s, when members discerned through a vote that God was calling CMS to mission in Britain and Europe.

We are a minority-Christian country in which lots of people have not experienced Christianity at all. That could be positive, as they might well come across it as fresh and new rather than having been put off by negative experiences of formal religion. Christianity might be discovered as gift rather than obligation.

Sharing from the edge

It can really help us to move away from sharing faith in a dominant way if we can see ourselves as a minority, so we are sharing our faith from the margins, not from the centre. We may well find ourselves alongside and in solidarity with others in marginal and minority positions. Stories of being strangers or exiles might be rich and fertile ground for mission.

Rather than focusing all our energies into attracting people to our churches, we might do better to focus on nurturing communities of missionary disciples, who follow the way of Christ to be present with and among people as salt and light, sharing faith where opportunity arises in these borderlands.

The vast majority of people in Britain do not go to church. I was interested to discover that of those, 85 per cent say they are unlikely to do so. And yet so much focus in mission seems to go on trying to do church better to attract people to it. Let us go to and be with these people where they are instead!

This is why we are here

That is exactly what we train pioneers to do and they are doing it in such brilliant and creative ways. The Partnership for Missional Church training helps churches to develop mission practices that will help them to innovate in this changed context. And mission partners in Britain are all situated in spaces sharing the love of God with those at the edges. Jesus was always found dwelling at the fringes. We hope to follow in the way of Christ and see where God is at work and join in.

This is our edge in Britain – the post-Christian borderlands in which we seek to join in with what God is doing and share God’s love.

1 Office for National Statistics, Religion, England and Wales: Census 2021

2 Linda Woodhead, The Rise of ‘No Religion’ in Britain, Journal of the British Academy

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Five year old Matthew (name changed) has become the first child to benefit from the pioneering fostering service now being offered by ReVive, a charity set up by Church Mission Society mission partners in Brazil.

ReVive provides homes and protection for abused and vulnerable girls in Olinda, a city of around 400,000 people in the north-east of the country. The new fostering service, which was officially given the green light to proceed by the authorities in November 2021, is the fulfilment of ReVive’s vision to see vulnerable children cared for within a strong, high-quality, fostering service.

Tony Lewry, ReVive’s fostering coordinator said: “We are so incredibly excited to be launching our fostering service here in Olinda! We successfully started our foster parent training at the beginning of June and now, six months later, we can begin placing children in loving homes. There are so many vulnerable children in our city who desperately need a safe place to live. Our service will not only offer a safe place but a family environment which will create the atmosphere each child needs to overcome the challenges life has thrown at them.”

Initially, ReVive aim to be catering for children up to the age of six, but with experience the team hope they can increase the scope of the service they can offer. Lewry said, “Our hope is that by 2030 fostering is the primary form of full-time child-care in the city.”

Andy Roberts, Director of International Mission at Church Mission Society and co-founder of Revive, said: “Now seeing Matthew living in a safe home with loving parents justifies the many frustrations, long meetings and bureaucracy that at times we thought would defeat us.”

Currently fewer than five per cent of children in the care system in Brazil are cared for in foster families. However, the ReVive team were faced with multiple issues on the way to this landmark decision. Lewry explains, “Public awareness of fostering is low and politically, passing fostering legislation is understandably seen as a low priority.”

Revive now runs two homes and has supported over 75 girls by providing accommodation, protection and education, taking them out of danger and helping them to rebuild their young lives.

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The post First foster family found! appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).